I got this idea thanks to Molendrix: http://www.molendrix.com/homeengl.html She makes wonderful dolls costumes just for the joy of making, lets others view them on the internet - and she mentions that she used this technique to make sequins for one of them. I was curious about it and now, when I got nice blue bottle into my hands, I tried it. It seems to be quite easy, though time consuming - but you can get lots of sequins almost for free!

You need:

PET bottle in desired colour

hole puncher

knife

and someone like a groundhog to support you

Ignore our kitchen in the background...

So cut the upper and bottom parts of the bottle, that are too molded and stiff. (BTW, bottom part of this bottle looks like a flower when cut - I think it could make e.g. wonderful Christmas tree ornament.) Cut the rest as needed (depending on shape of your bottle), to create relativelly flat pieces of plastic material (they still keep turning). Don't forget to cut it in vertical, if you don't, you'll keep the cylindric shape.

Now it's hole puncher's turn. I strongly recommend you, if you can take off the bottom part, do it! So you can controll, whether you cut circles or halfcircles (not desired, of course), and also keep the new holes as close to the older ones as possible, so you can get as many sequins as possible.

Very helpful is also pressing it at first only partly, so the puncher holds the material, and press your thumb to the hole from bottom - the new sequin will probably stay on your thumb (they do when I do it.)

Some sequins don't have perfect shape and sometimes I have to help them with knife, but generally it's really good way. Anyway, it's my first try and maybe I'll get better and better. It didn't take me too long to get used to it.

The last thing is to make holes in the sequins - I haven't done it yet, but any pointy needle or a pin should work.

Oh yes, it is! I'm not a big recycler, but still I love reusing things, so this is something made for me. There are still some leftovers, so those can go to that nice yellow container behind the corner...

Cool idea! Pity they don't recycle PET bottles around here (have to get my sister in law to drive the bottles to a plant!) we use mainly plastic milk bottles and they're ugly as can be but next time we get a nice bottle I'm getting out my hole puncher!